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February 21, 2012

40th Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcripts 2012-Feb-21 (PDF)

L013 - Tue 21 Feb 2012 / Mar 21 fév 2012

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Tuesday 21 February 2012 Mardi 21 février 2012

ORDERS OF THE DAY

ATTRACTING INVESTMENT

AND CREATING JOBS ACT, 2012 /

LOI DE 2012 VISANT

À ATTIRER LES INVESTISSEMENTS

ET À CRÉER DES EMPLOIS

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

ORAL QUESTIONS

PUBLIC SERVICES

PUBLIC SERVICES

ONTARIO ECONOMY

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

JOB CREATION

ENERGY POLICIES

SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION

LABOUR RELATIONS

ROAD SAFETY

PAN AM GAMES

ADDICTION SERVICES

FOREST INDUSTRY

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS

STUDENT DEMONSTRATION

DIMITRA DASKALOS

KINDNESS WEEK

ROB SHOULDICE

LONG-TERM CARE

LENT

JEAN PIGOTT

ELEANOR MILLER

GOVERNMENT’S RECORD

TABLING OF SESSIONAL PAPERS

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

MAJOR-GENERAL SIR ISAAC BROCK

DAY ACT, 2012 /

LOI DE 2012 SUR LE JOUR

DU MAJOR-GÉNÉRAL SIR ISAAC BROCK

TOBY’S ACT (RIGHT TO BE FREE FROM

DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT

BECAUSE OF GENDER IDENTITY

OR GENDER EXPRESSION), 2012 /

LOI TOBY DE 2012 SUR LE DROIT

À L’ABSENCE DE DISCRIMINATION

ET DE HARCÈLEMENT FONDÉS

SUR L’IDENTITÉ

OU L’EXPRESSION SEXUELLES

MOTIONS

PRIVATE MEMBERS’ PUBLIC BUSINESS

PETITIONS

LONG-TERM CARE

LONG-TERM CARE

KIDNEY DISEASE

SCHOOL ACCOMMODATION

DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES

KIDNEY DISEASE

CURRICULUM

WIND TURBINES

CLIMATE CHANGE

WIND TURBINES

KIDNEY DISEASE

WIND TURBINES

ORDERS OF THE DAY

HEALTHY HOMES RENOVATION

TAX CREDIT ACT, 2012 /

LOI DE 2012 SUR LE CRÉDIT D’IMPÔT

POUR L’AMÉNAGEMENT DU LOGEMENT

AXÉ SUR LE BIEN-ÊTRE

The House met at 0900.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Welcome back. Please join me in prayer.

Prayers.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Please observe a moment of silence.

The House observed a moment’s silence.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

ATTRACTING INVESTMENT

AND CREATING JOBS ACT, 2012 /

LOI DE 2012 VISANT

À ATTIRER LES INVESTISSEMENTS

ET À CRÉER DES EMPLOIS

Resuming the debate adjourned on December 6, 2011, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 11,

An Act respecting the continuation and establishment of development funds in order to promote regional economic development in eastern and southwestern Ontario / Projet de loi 11, Loi concernant la prorogation et la création de fonds de développement pour promouvoir le développement économique régional dans l’Est et le Sud-Ouest de l’Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Further debate?

Mr. Monte McNaughton: It’s an honour to rise and offer feedback and comments on Bill 11 on behalf of the official opposition, and it’s an honour to be back in this House after a long, long break. We haven’t been here since December 8. So let me take a moment to wish you a happy new year, Speaker, and to all MPPs on both sides of the House: Happy new year and all the best in 2012.

Over the break, I did what I’m sure many members in this House did. I returned to my riding of Lambton–Kent–Middlesex and spent time with my family and friends and within my community and across the riding. I spoke with members of the community, business and government leaders throughout. I met with entrepreneurs, small businesses, major corporations and large employers. I met with education and development heads, and I met with regular, everyday people: farmers, retirees, shift workers and the unemployed. I even met with Liberals, I met with Conservatives and people of all political stripes.

And do you know what virtually every person told me, Mr. Speaker? Things in Ontario need to change. They told me that Ontario needs to take a new course and needs to go in a completely new direction. Over the past couple of months, the people have told me that they don’t want more of the same and that they don’t want to keep going down the same path, down the same road that we are currently heading.

It is a great privilege for me to speak so early in the day here today, our first day back, to clearly state to the government some of the many flaws with its current approach, including with this very bill, Bill 11. This bill, bluntly, is another McGuinty spend bill. In fact, it will cost $160 million. You see, Mr.

Speaker, with everything I’ve heard since we were last in this House, from the community, from local elected officials and municipal governments and, indeed, from the government’s own consultant, Don Drummond, I’m more certain than ever that things need to change and that it is time to adapt some of the straightforward and common-sense principles being put forward by the Ontario PC caucus and by our leader, Tim Hudak.

Since 2003, the Liberal government tells us that they have worked closely with the business community and the regional economic development partners to attract new investment and create jobs for Ontario families. The McGuinty government has also told the people of Ontario that they have partnered with companies that are making investments in Ontario and creating jobs. I’ve even heard some of my friends on the government side talk about their so-called record of economic successes. But, unfortunately, for too many families, this couldn’t be further from the truth and certainly does not reflect reality in Ontario today.

As you will know, under the current McGuinty government, Ontario has lost over 300,000 well-paying manufacturing jobs. And even, at one point, we were losing 100 jobs per hour—100 jobs per hour, Mr. Speaker; that is some very scary stuff. Almost 600,000 Ontario men and women remain out of work—600,000. Ontario is really struggling under Dalton McGuinty and this Liberal government. This, of course, is contributing to Ontario’s jobless rate, which has remained above the national average for 61 straight months, or just over five years.

Those are some heavy numbers here first thing in the morning, Mr. Speaker, so let me distil it down for my friends on the government side. For over five years now, Ontario’s jobless rate has remained above the national average for the entire country. That’s right: The current government has been failing the people of Ontario—those looking for work, especially—for five years now. Worse than average; that’s not something to be proud of, Mr. Speaker.

Unfortunately, I constantly see examples of unemployment in my riding of Lambton–Kent–Middlesex. You see, Speaker, as you know, southwestern Ontario and my riding have been especially hard hit with the downturn of the manufacturing sector. My constituents are coming to me every day, asking why the McGuinty government is doing nothing to repair the economy and nothing to help turn things around in Ontario and help get people back to work. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, this is not an overstatement.

Let’s go back just over the past few months, perhaps go back to the recent election on October 6, 2011. Since then, this government—the McGuinty government—has done one thing: nothing. They haven’t brought forward one idea on how to reduce spending or how to save taxpayers any money. They haven’t brought forward any ideas on how to create meaningful jobs in my riding or throughout the province of Ontario. They didn’t even bother to form any legislative committees to allow for our traditional pre-budget consultations throughout Ontario.

Indeed, Speaker, with this speech from the throne, Premier McGuinty actually brought forward billions in new spending promises: $2.5 billion in money we don’t have and we simply cannot afford.

One thing that has happened since the election is, of course, the continued flow of companies closing shop and those good jobs leaving Ontario. As you will know, earlier this month in London, another 500 full-time jobs left the province. The Caterpillar plant shut down its London-based EMD facility. On top of the 500 jobs at Caterpillar, 1,700 spinoff jobs will be lost in southwestern Ontario—some very sad news for families in my riding and across the London region.

The McGuinty government spent a week attempting to blame anyone and everyone except the provincial government for these new job losses. First, Dalton McGuinty cast the blame at the feet of the company, claiming that it was never their intent to stay in Ontario. With hundreds of new Ontarians on the unemployment line, the Premier then stepped up his blame game and the Caterpillar plant closing became the fault of who? The federal government—as Premier McGuinty stated that Ottawa needed to review the Investment Canada Act to toughen restrictions on foreign ownership.

All this while Dalton McGuinty didn’t even bother to pick up the phone and call the company or even bother to let them know that these jobs are important and that Ontario wants these jobs. But that’s not all, Speaker. You see, a couple of days before the plant announced its closing, Dalton McGuinty was actually in London speaking to, of all groups, the London Chamber of Commerce. I guess you would think that with a major employer about to close shop and head south, the Premier might take a couple of minutes from his busy

schedule to stop over and visit the local plant management—again, do whatever he could personally do to help keep these jobs in London, in Ontario, in Canada. But, no, not our Premier, who had to dash back to Toronto before even bothering to speak with local plant management. Shameful, Speaker, shameful. No phone call and no visit with the management, and it’s no wonder the plant closed to move south. It’s no wonder we lost these jobs—these good jobs—because our Premier didn’t do anything to stop it, didn’t even put up a fight, Speaker.

Well, unfortunately for the workers and all of southwestern Ontario, EMD is just a symptom in the greater disease plaguing the province’s economy. Why is the McGuinty government not taking responsibility for the loss of these jobs? At the time that the plant closed, the Premier didn’t do anything to try to stop the plant closure. The Premier was too busy to take a proactive approach and try to keep jobs right here in Ontario. Speaker, I’m confused: Is the McGuinty government too busy spending money that they can’t be bothered to make a free phone call or set up a free meeting to save already-existing jobs?

Maybe it is not me that is confused, Speaker; I think it’s the McGuinty government that is confused. I think it’s the McGuinty government limping from one crisis to the next without any real plan, without any clue as to how to solve the problems facing our economy, the problems that their government has caused—and even worsened—with their lack of decisive action. It is time that the Premier takes responsibility for the province’s job losses; 600,000 men and women across Ontario out of work today—shameful, Speaker.

Dalton McGuinty needs to fix the disaster that he has created, and this is exactly what Don Drummond, the Premier’s hand-picked consultant, has stated in his condemning report that was released just last week.

You see, Speaker, for a long time now the Ontario PC caucus and our leader, Tim Hudak, have been fighting to stop the damage, to stop the madness of the Dalton McGuinty Liberal government. We’ve been fighting to stop the chaos resulting from eight years of unsustainable spending increase after spending increase, eight years of rapid growth in the size of government, eight years of structural deficits compounding on themselves. Bill 11 is more of the same from the Dalton McGuinty government: more spending, more debt. Future generations have to pay this debt.

Indeed, the last eight years have brought skyrocketing increases in the government’s overall expenditures. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you, Speaker, but did you know that our spending is up over $20 billion since the great recession? Coming from a family business, it is my experience that things should work opposite of that: that is, when money gets tight, spending must decrease and savings must be found—but apparently not so for Premier McGuinty.

The problem, of course, is that someone needs to pay for all of his spending and that someone is you and me and all the other hardworking people across Ontario. It is the taxpayers, the small businesses, the farmers, the truck drivers and store owners and factory workers who have to pay for Premier McGuinty’s reckless spending spree. However, we also know that their incomes haven’t kept pace with the rapid increase in spending coming from this government.

Ontario incomes, and incomes for folks in my riding of Lambton–Kent–Middlesex, have basically stagnated since this government came to office way back in 2003—not a record to be proud of. So while Ontario incomes remain the same, the cost of government has grown substantially and enormously, to the point that the Premier had to call in outside help to come in and review the books and help determine where things went off the tracks.

Let’s remember back just a few months ago, to the recent election campaign and the lead up to the October 6 election, Speaker. I’m sure you can remember, as I can, when Premier McGuinty and this government boasted of being a steady hand in times of economic uncertainty; when Premier McGuinty asked the Ontario public to trust him yet once again and the public had their day and responded by yanking the Liberal mandate and electing a stronger opposition, sending a minority government back to Toronto. Since that day, we have had report after report rejecting the current path and rejecting the current Liberal government.

Speaker, think back just over the past couple of months and we’ve had the damning report from the Auditor General, the independent officer of this House: a non-partisan report that slammed this government in so many areas for mismanagement and waste. And of course, our monthly job numbers and report after report on the economy continued to leave a sour taste. Then there was Moody’s—and don’t forget the Conference Board of Canada report—and now we have the long-awaited Don Drummond report, the final sad, sorry repudiation of the McGuinty government’s wasteful mismanagement.

The simple fact is, we would not be in the situation we are in, with high unemployment, ridiculous energy prices, skyrocketing debt and an uncontrollable deficit, if it were not for the Dalton McGuinty government—this government’s mismanagement of our total economy. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for this government’s uncontrolled spending.

The number $411 billion is staring at us, Speaker. This is Dalton McGuinty’s big debt number. This is his debt. Bill 11 adds to our debt and debt for families across the province of Ontario. Addictions are certainly nothing to make light of, but I cannot think of a better or more fair term to describe this government’s spending habits other than to call them an addiction. Here we are again with this bill, Bill 11, calling for more spending, larger government and another charge into the old government credit card express, and it just keeps right on going: another $2.5 billion since the election alone, which was only four months ago.

The recent Drummond report is a scathing report card on our provincial well-being, our current direction and leadership, and it’s an eye-opener that we need to start doing business differently, that this government and future governments need to start doing business differently. We simply cannot continue down the current path. We cannot proceed with the same failed Liberal policies. Drummond clearly states that it is time for new ideas and new approaches to how our government operates, and his over 700 pages are a road map that must be acted upon.

The document also provides proof of a very serious spending crisis—a crisis far worse than we imagined, worse than we ever thought and certainly worse than Premier McGuinty acknowledged.

Drummond also says that tough decisions will need to be made, that sacrifices will occur and that the remedial action required to get our financial house in order will be a tough pill to swallow. Despite this, Drummond says that we must act now, we must make changes or risk becoming the next Greece or Spain, hopelessly in debt and in complete and utter shambles.

Now we are back in the House, back to do the people’s business and back to get Ontario on to the right track, and I am pleased to urge and challenge this government to do whatever is necessary and do what your own hand-picked expert says. Take the tough medicine that the doctor has prescribed and start putting the recommendations from the Drummond report into play, start making changes to the way we do government in Ontario.

But do you know what, Speaker? Nothing I’ve seen since this government has been elected gives me hope that they will or even can act on these important recommendations. It’s no secret Ontarians have very little faith in this government to cut spending and reduce the size and overall cost of government and create jobs. It’s just not in the Liberals’ DNA. What we need is an immediate action plan from this government to clean up the mess—the mess that they created, the mess that they’ve allowed to grow and fester, untamed and unmanned. But that’s not what we’re going to get.

We’re here today debating Bill 11, part of the same tired and washed-up approach that got us into this problem in the first place. The Ontario PC Party, the PC caucus, the official opposition party in this House—we understand what Don Drummond has stated. We understand what he has recommended and what he has prescribed for Ontario. While his report is detailed and covers numerous areas, the principles are really quite straightforward. We can’t afford new spending.

First, only spend what you have. This is funny because this is something my parents taught me, and I’m sure this is something families across Ontario try to teach their children. Spend only what you have. Don’t live on credit; don’t live on debt, but instead, live within your means. Exercise self-control.

Second, prioritize spending on what really matters: health care and education. Stop with all the unnecessary extras, stop with all the unnecessary bloat and waste, the unnecessary pork that this government has fondly cultivated and grown, and spend our money on what is really important to the people of Ontario. Again, this is health care and education.

Third, and one of my favourite lessons coming from Don Drummond, reduce the size of government. Get government out of all the areas that it has no business being in. Review and change the way government does business, reduce red tape and unnecessary burden. And for the government: Stick to your knitting.

Speaker, forgive me if I say these things confidently, but this sounds like a discussion around the McNaughton dinner table when I was growing up. Even now, to this day, it sounds like a discussion we have at our family business, McNaughton’s in Newbury. It sounds like a discussion families across Ontario have every day. Indeed, I’ve called on Dalton McGuinty to throw a quarantine around Ontario’s economic purse. That’s right: no more new spending promises, no new uncosted and one-off spending and no more growth in the size and cost of government.

Further, if this government refuses to act on even one of the recommendations contained within the Drummond report, they would need to come forward with equivalent alternatives or risk Ontario’s bankruptcy and future health.

So here we are with Bill 11, and instead of trying to protect the jobs we currently have, the McGuinty government is using taxpayers’ dollars to create a new stimulus program, a corporate welfare pork project known as the southwest development fund. But here’s the funny thing, Speaker: For all the talk of the Don Drummond report and his approximately 400 recommendations to turn Ontario around, the very first thing we’re doing here today is going directly against what Don Drummond has recommended.

Indeed, Don Drummond, like Roger Martin before him, has stated that it’s time to get Ontario out of the corporate welfare business and out of the business of giving unnecessary subsidies to businesses and corporations. Indeed, it is time to stop picking winners and losers from the Premier’s office in downtown Toronto. This is a temporary, band-aid approach to job creation that will not create long-term economic growth, real growth.

Why is the government trying to create new jobs with taxpayer dollars while allowing current full-time jobs, like those at EMD in London, to leave our province? This out-of-control spending is troubling and upsetting. What is more troubling is that not only does the current government do nothing to keep current jobs in Ontario, they do nothing, period. They simply just spend money, blindly and aimlessly—just spend, spend, spend. I often wonder how Dalton McGuinty and his government can sleep peacefully at night while facing a debt of their making that’s going to approach $411 billion. Shameful, Speaker.

An interesting fact is that despite difficult economic circumstances, Ontario has seen some modest growth in the construction industry. You see, I recently met with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business about the WSIB and to discuss the increasing regulation that the construction industry is experiencing. A funny thing is that the McGuinty government’s solution to growth seems to be to increase regulation, at least according to these industry leaders.

On January 1, Bill 119 came into effect, a bill that requires companies that employ construction workers to pay for the mandatory insurance that can only be done through the WSIB. On average, this will cost each business an additional $11,000 per year in insurance premiums. Prior to Bill 119, construction companies were free to get private insurance that often included more comprehensive coverage at a better price than what the WSIB is providing. This new regulation will cost one of the few growing industries in Ontario more money.

As a result, employers will have to make cuts in order to accommodate this new expense, cuts that will come in the form of lost jobs, Speaker. Once again, why is the Dalton McGuinty government increasing costs and regulations on one of the few growing industries in this province? It just doesn’t make any sense and shows a government that is, again, limping from one problem to the next.

This government has stopped listening to real private sector job creators in this province. Is the goal to have fewer jobs and to stop economic growth? It seems that the McGuinty government thinks as much; at least, that is where they are leading us to.

Speaker, these regulations are costing Ontario workers their jobs, their livelihoods. Why is the Liberal government increasing taxes on one of the few growing industries in Ontario? We need to eliminate red tape and unnecessary regulation in order to allow the economy to grow for Ontario to prosper. The overregulation that Ontario’s businesses are seeing is crippling the economy and destroying jobs. Bill 11 is another example of an expense for the government we can’t afford.

I was recently contacted by a constituent who is voicing his concern about regulations and the crippling effect it was having on his business. Brian MacKenzie, who is the operations manager at McRobert Fuels, is currently frustrated and outraged with the unnecessary red tape in Ontario. Sadly, his plant’s operations have been temporarily shut down, Speaker, because the Ontario government is not certifying enough engineers to perform routine safety checks at the plant—safety checks that this very government requires and has mandated.

He is also frustrated because according to industry regulations, there are several people who must perform these safety checks separately of the others. Why can’t one certified individual perform these checks? Why is the current McGuinty government not ensuring that there are enough certified engineers to perform these routine checks?

Instead of blowing money on another wasteful bureaucracy, we have a company that has to shut down operations in my riding of Lambton–Kent–Middlesex. We have people who want to work. We have people in Ontario who want to be certified. Why is nothing being done to streamline regulations and eliminate red tape so that the people of Ontario can get back to work? This is an example of this government killing jobs in southwestern Ontario.

Speaker, it would seem that the McGuinty government is so completely out of touch, so out to lunch, that they just don’t get it. That’s right. It’s still early in the morning today but the McGuinty Liberals are already out to lunch and, of course, the people stuck paying the tab are the taxpayers in my riding of Lambton–Kent–Middlesex and taxpayers throughout the entire province of Ontario. From east to west, from north to south, people are stuck paying the tab for this government’s overspending.

The solution for Ontario’s job crisis is not more spending and it isn’t more regulation. It is certainly not passing Bill 11 here today. Current overregulation and government spending are crippling Ontario’s economy and destroying jobs. More spending in the form of this bill will only add to the problem and compound the disaster we are currently facing.

Under Dalton McGuinty, Ontario’s debt has more than doubled and will hit $411 billion in five years, by 2017, if left unchecked, Speaker—$411 billion. Our deficit will be a crippling $30 billion in those same five years. If I were a Liberal on the other side of this House I would keep my head down as well because that’s absolutely despicable and shameful—irresponsible.

There are no more questions. The report card is in: Dalton McGuinty and the Liberal government have a spending problem and for some reason, the Liberals keep telling us that continuing to spend more money will improve jobs and improve the economy. Why don’t they understand? Did they not read any of Don Drummond’s report, the very report that they bought and paid for with our tax dollars? Here’s what Drummond said. He said that instead of things getting better through government stimulus programs, the debt has doubled and Ontario’s jobs crisis keeps getting worse.

Dalton McGuinty’s spending plan is not working. But don’t fear, Speaker: The Ontario PC Party, the Ontario PC caucus and our leader have a plan for economic growth and job creation. The best part about our plan is that it doesn’t come with a billion-dollar price tag. This is in comparison to Dalton McGuinty’s approach, the approach we are seeing in Bill 11.

It will not be easy but it is realistic. It is no secret that the global economy remains fragile and the road to economic growth will be challenging in the current economic climate—no secret, Speaker. The debt crisis in Europe and the economic competition from low-cost jurisdictions continue to impact on our economy, but we are forgetting some minor details with all of this. The rising deficit and the doubling of Ontario’s debt started long before the global economic crisis.

It’s worth repeating, but we sometimes forget that this crisis of Dalton McGuinty’s that we’re seeing in Ontario started long before the global economic crisis. The recession hit everyone, but Dalton McGuinty simply has been pursuing the wrong economic policies here in Ontario. The only person who should be blamed for Ontario’s economic situation is Dalton McGuinty. It’s time that the Premier takes responsibility for his spending and changes his approach. Government spending cannot be what drives the economy, and that is why corporate welfare and corporate bailouts like Bill 11 are unnecessary and unproductive.

As a small business person and someone who employs over 65 people at our family business, I can tell you that local businesses are suffering and are being left with no choice but to leave Ontario due to the economic climate that has been created here, the climate that this government has created. I’ve been speaking to many business owners and many entrepreneurs since taking on the role of economic development and innovation critic for our party. Not one single owner has told me that they want welfare and subsidies from government—not one. No one is looking for a handout in Ontario.

But you see, under the Dalton McGuinty government, we have seen skyrocketing energy rates, increased red tape and government bureaucracy and an ineffective and antique apprenticeship system. This is why we have a jobs crisis in the province of Ontario.

Under Dalton McGuinty, hydro rates increased eight times since 2003, by a total of 84%, or a whopping 150% for families with smart meters. Despite promising Ontario families that his expensive energy experiments and Green Energy Act would only raise rates by 1%, Dalton McGuinty now admits that hydro bills will rise 46% by 2015. Even the Ontario Energy Board acknowledged Dalton McGuinty’s energy experiments were behind the latest hydro increase when they said that new forms of power generation as a result of the Green Energy Act are costing more to produce. Instead of Bill 11, focus on concerns real businesses are faced with.

In my riding of Lambton–Kent–Middlesex—and this is scary, Speaker—there is a retailer who has a local grocery store that is located in a small town where thousands of manufacturing jobs have been lost since 2003. He has a monthly hydro bill of between $18,000 and $20,000 a month. His bill used to be less than half of that a short time period ago.

Speaker, how are small businesses supposed to survive in Dalton McGuinty’s Ontario? The increase in hydro rates is unacceptable and is crippling Ontario’s economy. You and I know that the price of hydro is an economic essential that can help drive the economy forward. I believe policies should be focused on creating an efficient supply of power at affordable prices. Ontario’s economic policy has to have a plan for economic development, and the current structure certainly needs to change.

Speaker, the system isn’t working. The Auditor General, Moody’s investment services, the Conference Board of Canada, the people of Ontario, the official opposition here at Queen’s Park and now Don Drummond have all said so, but the Premier refuses to listen and refuses to budge. Competition must be established; this will ensure that there are lower prices and efficient technology. Regulation must be stable. If prices are competitive and regulations are stable, Ontario will attract investment to the province. If there is not competition and prices continue to skyrocket as they have for so long under this Premier, then we will do nothing more than drive investment out of Ontario.

The current approach to energy is not realistic, nor is it sustainable. The feed-in tariff program is barely two years old, yet the OPA has already been flooded with 10,000 FIT applications and 44,000 microFIT applications—nearly 55,000 applications in two years. We are seeing the hype mount around these energy programs; however, they are not sustainable. The buzz will die down and the bubble will burst. Other provinces and jurisdictions already know this. They understand this concept and they apply it to their policies, for example, in Alberta, where they have successfully used a competitive process.

Our friends just over the border, in the southern United States and Texas and much of the Midwestern US, are finding renewable power can’t compete in the open market on its own merit. Fifty US states and nine other provinces procure renewable energy using the principles of competition; only in Ontario do we pay developers a flat subsidy.

According to the Ministry of Energy, electricity prices in this province will double over the next 20 years, while the US energy information agency actually projects electricity prices in the US will decrease over the same time period. If you were an entrepreneur looking to start a business, where would you choose? Probably just like EMD in London did, you would choose to locate south of the border, away from the Dalton McGuinty government and his policies, which are failed, non-friendly business policies.

Every jurisdiction we’re competing with for jobs and investment is after the same thing: a reliable and diversified supply of power at the lowest cost, Speaker. Currently, Ontario doesn’t have this. Under the current structure we are seeing businesses leave Ontario and relocate to a more affordable location. The skyrocketing hydro rates in Ontario are driving business out of Ontario for good. If the government continues on its current path, London Economics International estimates Ontario will have the absolute highest electricity prices in all of Canada by 2015.

These electricity prices will be combined with the absolute highest regulatory burden in all of this country, matched by the worst government spending and debt problem in all of Canada, a triple threat working against our recovery.

Speaker, hydro costs are skyrocketing, the people of Ontario can no longer afford to live in Ontario and businesses cannot afford to operate in Ontario. We are losing business every day because the cost of operating is just way too high. This is Dalton McGuinty’s legacy as Premier of Ontario: 600,000 and counting unemployed and a staggering debt of $411 billion if change doesn’t happen.

Here in Ontario, we require good home heating at a fair and reasonable price. In order to restore Ontario as an economic leader and to repair the economy, hydro rates must change. Once we have re-established this level playing field, then the best way to attract new investment is with a stable regulatory environment where everyone knows the rules of the game and they only change in predictable ways. Overregulation must be eliminated and the economy allowed to operate through a free enterprise system. Speaker, my friends across the aisle need to support free enterprise in Ontario.

It is unfair that the rules of the game are constantly changing, and because Ontario lacks stability, business owners are not willing to operate here and are leaving one by one. I see this every day, not just in my riding of Lambton–Kent–Middlesex but across southwestern Ontario. Corporate taxes are an example. The Liberals are not reducing corporate taxes one day; then they are reducing them. Now, apparently, they’ve flipped their position and they’re not going to reduce corporate taxes.

The approaches taken by the current government signal that Dalton McGuinty has no long-term vision or plan to get there. It sends the wrong message to investors and developers, small businesses and families alike. The result is that the cost of operation in Ontario is simply unaffordable. It’s not the role of the government to micromanage any sector of the economy, nor pick winners or losers like they’re trying to do in Bill 11. The current government is micromanaging the economy, over and over again, from the Premier’s seat right here in Toronto.

Nothing says “out of touch” more than a Premier making decisions from downtown Toronto. Instead, it’s the role of the government to create the right conditions for investment and job creation and then to stay out of business affairs.

The Premier of Ontario needs to change the current conditions and help better the economy in Ontario. Ontario must be favourable for businesses to perform. It’s about time that the McGuinty government addresses the current economic climate and makes the necessary changes to help repair Ontario’s economy for good. This government is so focused on the here and now that it has failed to establish a long-term plan that will make Ontario’s economy a leader again.

We face a growing deficit that is double the size of all the other Canadian provinces combined, and has been for four years now. Even through our darkest days, Ontario’s tremendous potential has always been there. It’s not too late to take a different path, to restore Ontario as an economic leader in this great nation of Canada. That means creating the right conditions for new growth, new investment and new jobs.

But here we are today continuing down the same path as before, blindly throwing money at problems in the hopes that some of it sticks, but this very approach is how we’ve ended up in the situation we are now in with hundreds of thousands of Ontarians out of work.

Government spending is up 80% since the McGuinty Liberals came to office. Bill 11, again, is more of the same. It’s really very simple: The government has a spending problem, and spending more money when you’re in debt is a bad decision. It’s the wrong decision, and certainly it’s not going to help Ontario families get back to work. I learned this in our family business from a young age. You can only spend more than you make for so long. Dalton McGuinty obviously didn’t get the same education.

The Ontario PC Party, our leader, Tim Hudak, and our caucus believe that the current apprenticeship system needs to change. The system is completely out of date and not creating the jobs that Ontarians need.

The Ministry of Finance predicts there will be over one million skilled jobs vacancies by 2021. Despite Ontario’s jobs crisis, we have a major skilled labour shortage. Modernizing Ontario’s apprenticeship system would help create 200,000 skilled trades jobs over the next four years—sound economic policy. Allowing employers to take on more apprentices and giving more responsibility to colleges to match apprentices up with employers will help more young people find skilled trades jobs.

The PC Party would lower the apprenticeship ratio to one to one, while delegating more responsibility to Ontario’s colleges for matching apprentices up with employers. The result would be, again, 200,000 new skilled trades jobs, from sheet metal workers to plumbers to electricians. Again, this is real, common sense, private sector job creation. I don’t understand why the government just doesn’t listen to the members opposite.

People want to work in the skilled trades, but this government, once again, is preventing job growth and economic growth from happening—shameful. In one simple, practical step we can give 200,000 men and women the opportunity to build a good career in the skilled trades right here in the province of Ontario. Imagine the positive impact that this will have on new home construction, on infrastructure maintenance and on industrial output. Imagine the jobs there, if we want them to be.

In most provinces around this great country, employers are allowed to hire one apprentice for every journeyman employed. In Ontario, some trades require as many as five journeymen to hire one apprentice, limiting the number of young people who can find work. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business has said that “The sole limiting factor in our ability to train more apprentices is the journeyman/apprentice ratio requirements” in Ontario.

Ontario faces a big and growing jobs-training deficit, producing 46% fewer tradespeople per capita than the rest of the country. Because of Dalton McGuinty’s dismal record on creating apprenticeship positions, only one in four Ontario apprentices finishes their job training. Ontario will face up to one million skilled jobs vacancies by 2021 without urgent action to reform an antiquated apprenticeship system. There are jobs that can be created with little to no cost. Why does the government think that the only way to solve problems is to spend more money, like in Bill 11?

Ontario is lagging behind the rest of the world as well. In the 1990s Australia reformed its training system, and the number of apprentices doubled between 1995 and 2000. The United Kingdom, France and Sweden have also increased their number of apprenticeship positions through similar reforms. This is a method that’s tried and true, has worked around the world, Speaker, and is something that this government should consider. This is an opportunity for the Dalton McGuinty government, and they are doing nothing to take advantage of it. Enough is enough. It is time that the spending stops and the current structures that are in place are changed.

Our apprenticeship plan is a real jobs plan; Bill 11 is not.

I hear, time and time again, from my constituents in Lambton–Kent–Middlesex that they don’t want a government that picks winners and losers, that pits rural versus urban, that favours one region over another or one industry over another. Most importantly, they want a change in direction, new thinking and new ideas coming from their government. But Dalton McGuinty and his government just don’t get it.

It’s not just members of the opposition saying this, Speaker. A report in the Ottawa Citizen on November 15—the recent Roger Martin report—has asked that the government abandon “its policy of picking ‘winners and losers’ … through subsidies to businesses.” This is a respected dean from the Rotman School of Management saying this.

Another interesting fact comes from a study done by the Fraser Institute—and this is staggering, Speaker—that uncovers that the Ontario government has spent a total of $27.7 billion on corporate welfare. This money has been spent based on the promise that the economic state in Ontario will get better, and we all know that the state of the economy in Ontario is actually getting worse: 600,000 people unemployed, 600,000 men and women unemployed in Ontario; small businesses closing along Main Streets across the province; factories closing across this great province.

It has been proven over and over again that McGuinty’s spending legacy is not working. It has proven itself to be a complete and utter failure. The people of Ontario may sit back and ask, “How did this happen? How did the economic state of Ontario get so bad?” You see, Speaker, here in Ontario, revenue is up $35 billion under the Liberals, but spending is up $45 billion. This year alone, we are spending $2 million more each hour than we are taking in through revenue. It doesn’t take a math genius to understand that if revenue is up $35 billion but spending is up $45 billion, there’s going to be a shortfall sooner or later.

This is shameful, despicable and an insult to future generations in this province, that this government doesn’t have a spine to act. It’s just shameful that this government does not have a spine to act. They had to see it coming for many years; everyone was telling them. But again, this government, in my opinion, Speaker, is completely gutless.

The single biggest cost driver on the spending side is public sector compensation and the total expansion of government. This is not what we stand for, and this is not affordable. It never was affordable, Speaker. That is why we have called for a public sector wage freeze, something that will save Ontario families over $2 billion in the next two years alone.

While a public sector wage freeze won’t turn our entire province around, it does signal that things are changing in this province and that we will not continue down our current path. It also sends an important message to job creators inside and outside the province that we’re getting our fiscal house in order.

You see, what is affordable for Ontario families is creating an attractive environment to run a business, a place where costs are predictable and where small businesses and entrepreneurs can come and grow their business. I believe in a system of free enterprise, a system where people and businesses create jobs. Speaker, I’m proud to say I’m a capitalist.

In Ontario, our revenue is at an all-time high, but it is uncontrolled spending on things like public sector compensation that is a problem. The current government has not posed a single new idea for reining in spending. Premier McGuinty really only knows how to do one thing, and that is to spend.

Speaker, while the people of Ontario want to have a consistent and predictable partner in the Ontario government, the Premier’s ideas have proven, time and time again, to get us deeper and deeper into debt. Again, a staggering $411 billion is staring at us as we come back to work today in the Legislature.

The reckless spending and inability to define priorities are at the root of the crisis that we face today, and the Premier has no idea what to do. So Premier McGuinty just keeps on spending, hoping that something will work, that something will stick, that something might actually change. But we can’t go on hope anymore, Speaker. We can’t depend on much these days, but the only thing that we can depend on, if given the chance under Dalton McGuinty, is that spending will increase, the deficit is going to increase, jobs will continue to leave the province, and the people of Ontario will continue to suffer with higher and higher taxes and skyrocketing debt levels.

It’s going to take courage, and I urge the Premier to show some courage and some leadership in this position. He hasn’t shown it since 2003, and it’s time that we see some change.

Our position is quite clear. We can’t support any additional spending without significant savings elsewhere. We can’t continue writing cheques that we can’t cash. We can’t buy things that we can’t afford. Families in Ontario understand this; small businesses across my riding, across southwestern Ontario, across the entire province understand this; and certainly our leader, Tim Hudak, our PC Party, our PC caucus and our members of the official opposition clearly understand that. We’ve been demonstrating that since the election on October 6.

To be clear, it’s not the government’s job to pick winners and losers amongst privately owned companies. Ontario families simply can’t afford these subsidies and corporate handouts any longer. Bill 11 is not smart legislation, Speaker.

A week ago, Don Drummond reported that Ontario is going to be faced with a $411-billion debt, and here we are, first thing back to the Legislature, and the government is calling a spend bill to spend $160 million—again, just completely out of touch with what’s happening. They’re obviously not leaving this building, and they’re not leaving Toronto, and they’re not talking to businesses and families across the province.

Don Drummond knows it, we know it, and it really seems that the only people who don’t understand this are the members of the current Liberal government: Red tape and increased government spending are not helping our economy. Instead, we are seeing the debt rise daily. The economy is getting worse and worse because the government is still spending. The McGuinty government has a spending problem, but now that the money has run out, it is time for the spending to stop.

Speaker, as you will know, myself and our leader and our caucus strongly oppose corporate welfare. We strongly oppose government slush funds, such as the one being proposed in Bill 11, and we strongly believe that now is the time to reduce spending, not increase spending. As I have stated here today and as we have stated since the election, we simply cannot support additional spending without significant cutbacks in other areas.

Speaker, we have two crises in the province of Ontario. We have a jobs crisis: 600,000 men and women unemployed. We have a debt crisis: We’re going to be approaching $411 billion by 2017. It’s staring us in the face here this morning. Bill 11 will not help in either of these areas.

Again, I just think that the government’s actions are despicable. They need courage, they need conviction to make change. I just hope that they look across the aisle to the official opposition; look to our good ideas to get government spending under control. Speaker, if they won’t do it, our leader, Tim Hudak, and our party certainly will.

I just urge the government and I urge all members in this House not to support Bill 11. It’s more spending that we can’t afford: $160 million proposed.

I go back to my point earlier: I met with hundreds of businesses—and I come from a small business background. Businesses don’t want handouts. So for this government to propose a bill that calls for spending and corporate handouts is just completely out of touch. What businesses want are affordable hydro rates and less government red tape. We have 500,000 regulations on the books in the province of Ontario, and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says that these regulations are costing businesses $11 billion per year. Think of how many jobs the province’s businesses would create if the government allowed job creators to create jobs.

In Dalton McGuinty’s Ontario it’s tough to do business today. I know; I’m speaking with these business owners. The entrepreneurial spirit is moving elsewhere. It’s dead in a lot of areas in this province. Costs are too high; people aren’t willing to take a chance in Ontario to start a business, to hire people. We need to restore their faith and their hope in the province so that they’ll start a business, employ people and turn the ship around in Ontario.

As I’ve mentioned a few times, coming from a small-business background—my brother and I proudly took over from my father a few years ago. This is a family business that my father took over from his father. It started in 1948. I fear that the approach Dalton McGuinty is taking is forcing small businesses to close shop and family businesses to close shop. I have a lot of businesses in my riding that have been in business for 50, 60 and even 100 years, and with the direction this government is taking the province, I’m scared for the future of a lot of businesses in my riding in southwestern Ontario.

I will be proudly voting against Bill 11 and against the ever-expanding McGuinty pork train. I encourage my colleagues here today to join me in opposing continued government expansion and to also vote against Bill 11.

I have a copy of this report from the Fraser Institute that clearly shows the Ontario government has spent almost $30 billion on corporate welfare—absolutely shameful. Over the past number of years, Ontario’s government spent almost $30 billion on direct subsidies to corporations. “In 2008-09 alone, the bill for corporate welfare amounted to almost” $3 billion. “For anyone”—this is staggering—“who paid income tax in 2008, the cost of corporate welfare was $424 per Ontarian (or $848 per dual-income couple).” This is the McGuinty approach: Spend and unemployment goes up.

“By lowering taxes rates for all and offering subsidies to none, Ontario’s government could concentrate its spending and tax policy where it would do the most good.”

“Ontario’s corporate welfare has an opportunity cost. The province’s corporate welfare expenditures could have been redirected (in the current fiscal year) to one of the following....” This is interesting but the Fraser Institute—this is from their report—is saying this is where that money could have gone. The $3 billion given in 2008-09 could have eliminated Ontario’s health premium. It could have eliminated the top personal income tax surtax of 36% and reduced the lower surtax from 20% to 10%. It could further reduce the corporate income tax rate to 8% in 2011 or 2012, or it could reduce Ontario’s annual deficit by $2.7 billion a year.

Governments have spent in Ontario over the last number of years almost $30 billion in corporate welfare. Clearly, it would have benefited families more going elsewhere. Again, the pork barrelling, the pork train has to end here in Ontario.

To conclude, I just want to ask all MPPs on both sides of this House to stand with me, stand with our party, stand with our leader, and vote against Bill 11. Let’s stand on the side of small businesses, family businesses and job creators, Speaker. Let’s free job creators to create jobs in the province. Let’s get these 600,000 people back to work in the province. And let’s hope that between now and the next few days Dalton McGuinty grows a spine and gets the jobs crisis under control and gets the spending crisis under control, or the province of Ontario is going to be broke.

I’ll tell you, on our watch on this side of the House we will not let Ontario become the next Greece or Spain. We’re stronger than that. We’re putting forward positive ideas to restore Ontario to being the best place to live, to work and to start a business.

Speaker, thank you very much.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Questions and comments?

Mr. Gilles Bisson: Speaker, a Conservative talking about corporate welfare? I can hardly believe my ears. Man, oh, man, oh, man, what is this world coming to? It’s topsy-turvy around here.

But corporate welfare—well, you know, there’s a thing called corporate tax cuts that the Conservatives and Liberals are very happy about and keep on doling out and out without any kind of conditions, without any kind of strings attached, and somehow or other that’s not considered corporate welfare? Listen, I wasn’t going to say anything but I will say that about that.

On this particular bill, I listened to the presentation of the member, and I guess I have a bit of a different opinion in the sense that economic development funds can be quite useful. I come from a part of the province, northern Ontario, where we have the northern heritage fund. The minister who sits across the way would know, as the chair of the fund, it is a very successful fund that has been chaired by members of the Conservative caucus when they were in government and chaired by our people when we were in government, and now by the Liberals, that has done a lot of good work when it comes to economic development in regions of the province that sometimes need help.

The problem for a lot of businesses is they can’t access capital. So what do you do when you’re trying to access capital to get something up and running so that you can invest in an enterprise of some type that you want to make a return on and at the same time create some jobs?

Is this particular fund set up the way that I would like to see it? Absolutely not. I think we should follow the model of the heritage fund. There should be an actual board. There should be a process by which we determine what type of loans can be put forward with loan guarantees—and sometimes it’s a combination of loan and loan guarantees—so that we can actually do some economic development in those parts of the province that are having problems trying to do the kind of economic development that needs to be done.

It will be interesting when this bill goes to committee, because I’m sure that’s one of the areas that our members are going to be very interested to talk about.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Further comments?

Mrs. Liz Sandals: I’d like to respond to the comments by the member from Lambton–Kent–Middlesex concerning Bill 11. Unlike him, I will be supporting Bill 11 and the creation of the southwestern Ontario development fund.

But I think it’s really interesting to look at what happened when there was a consultation in Guelph by the Minister of Economic Development on the terms of the southwestern Ontario development fund, its structure. Just as the member from Timmins–James Bay suggested, we need to look at how we set this fund up, because we’ve got the northern heritage fund and the eastern Ontario development fund, and we need to sort it out.

I expected that we would have people from Guelph come to Guelph, and we did. I expected that we would have people from Waterloo region come; they did. There were people there from the member for Kitchener–Waterloo’s riding who are associated with the University of Waterloo and who were very interested in the economic development possibilities around technology. There were people there from the riding of the member for Wellington–Halton Hills, people from both Wellington and Halton, who wanted to know if Halton could be included in the fund.

But I was quite surprised by some of the other places that people came from because they wanted to be included in the fund. There were people there from the riding of Simcoe–Grey. There were people from the riding of York–Simcoe. There were people from the riding of Huron–Bruce. There were people from as far away as Parry Sound–Muskoka who wanted to be included in this. There were people from Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound. There were people from Perth–Wellington.

The fact is that the people in southwestern Ontario drove to Guelph to say, “We want this fund.”

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Further comments and questions?

Mr. Steve Clark: I want to thank the member for Lambton–Kent–Middlesex for his speech on Bill 11.

I want to talk about the eastern Ontario development fund in the two minutes that I have. First, you really can’t talk about that fund without recognizing Bob Runciman or Norm Sterling, two champions of eastern Ontario economic development.

But I have to tell you there was a story in the Ottawa Citizen during the election talking about the fact that more money was going into Liberal ridings than in Conservative ridings. In fact, they couldn’t even come to grips with how much money was left in the fund. The report from the—and I want to thank Lee Greenburg for the report. Some said $50 million, $49.4 million, $48.2 million; some said $40 million.

I have to admit that after the election—it was actually my birthday—I wrote the minister on November 7 and asked for a meeting. I have to be honest: I was worried that that $40 million that was left in that fund was going to be taken, cut in half, $20 million was going to go to the southwest and $20 million was going to go to the east.

So I asked—a very simple request, a very modest request—to have a meeting with all of the eastern Ontario MPPs to talk about the fund, to talk about accountability measures that should be in the fund, to talk about suggestions that the eastern Ontario wardens talked about for this fund. Nothing. I had to continue to ask the minister and finally, after long last, we shamed him into having a meeting on Thursday.

But I have to tell you, there’s lots of confusion. The eastern Ontario wardens think there’s money left in the fund. The Ottawa Citizen story would lead you to believe there was money left in the fund. Jean-Marc Lalonde, the architect of the fund, the former member for Glengarry–Prescott–Russell, when he came to my riding on June 24 admitted there was $31 million left in the fund. However, Minister Duguid and members of his staff now say there’s no money left in the fund. There should be $25 million if you listened to the Attorney General last month at the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus.

So the wardens think there’s money left, the councils think there’s money left, economic developers think there’s money left. So, mister, you’d better tell us on Thursday where’s our—

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Further comments and questions?

Mr. Jagmeet Singh: We’ve heard it loud and clear throughout Ontario that people are concerned about jobs and are concerned about job creation. So if this eastern/southwestern fund will encourage job creation, if it’ll invigorate the economy, then we welcome it. But let’s be very clear: We need to have some transparency, we need to have accountability, we need to guarantee that the funds will directly result in jobs being created. There has to be a strong, strings-attached policy. This can’t be blank cheques given to corporations. We don’t want another Electro-Motive happening in Ontario.

We don’t want another corporation that gets $5 million of taxpayer dollars to up and leave because they see a cheaper deal somewhere else.

We want to ensure that there are good jobs, that there are permanent jobs here in Ontario, and if this fund will have the stringent controls in place, the accountability in place, transparency in place, then that’s something we can look at, but without that, that’s completely unacceptable. We don’t want to be giving away our taxpayer dollars to corporations who don’t guarantee jobs in this province, who ship out jobs overseas, who ship out jobs down south. That’s not acceptable. That’s not the Ontario that we want to live in. We want to protect our citizens, protect our community, ensure that there are jobs here for everyone.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): The member for Lambton–Kent–Middlesex has two minutes to respond.

Mr. Monte McNaughton: Well, thank you, Speaker, and I will keep this to two minutes or under.

I’d like to thank the MPPs who spoke to my remarks: the members from Timmins–James Bay, Guelph, Leeds–Grenville and Bramalea–Gore–Malton.

But before I get into my closing remarks, I can clearly see where this session is going. It appears—just when it comes to Bill 11—that this is going to be a session where the Dalton McGuinty Liberal Democrats join together. So we’re seeing the NDP working with the Liberals and we can see they have the same philosophy.

We’ve been clear, Speaker. The Liberals just don’t get it. Here we are the first day, day one back after being away from here for months, and the Liberals want to spend $160 million, and the number $411 billion is staring at us. I mean, it’s shameful. Each year, we’re spending billions of dollars more on interest payments. It’s just despicable. We have a debt crisis in the province; by 2017 it’s going to put us in the league of Greece and Portugal. And of course, we have a jobs crisis. Bill 11 will not do anything to help the 600,000 men and women without work.

Our party has a clear plan. Let’s reform the apprenticeship system, let’s get hydro rates under control, and let’s slash the government regulations and red tape that are not allowing private sector growth in the province of Ontario.

Again, Speaker, I thank you for the time, and I hope everyone will support our party in this initiative.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): It being close to 10:15 of the clock, this House stands recessed until 10:30.

The House recessed from 1011 to 1030.

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Okay. It is time for us to get back to work in the House. I do want to welcome everyone back, including all of our guests, but I also want to say to the members here, thank you for the work that you’ve done in your constituency offices during this time when the House isn’t sitting. To make sure everyone understands, you are a very hard-working group of people on behalf of the citizens of Ontario, and I thank you so much for doing that.

Now I would like to offer you time for introduction of guests.

Ms. Sylvia Jones: Please help me in introducing a councillor from the town of Orangeville and the proud parent of page Patrick, Jeremy Williams.

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: I am actually making this introduction on behalf of the member for Simcoe North as well, because we share an interest in these constituents: Janet MacDougall, who is actually the executive director of Yes I Can! Nursery School in my riding, Marnie MacDougall, Janet’s daughter, and Michael Hawkins, Janet’s son-in-law. Welcome.

Mr. Kevin Daniel Flynn: Joining us today in the east members’ gallery, I’d like to welcome Oakville residents Richard and Pat Gorwill. They’re here to see their granddaughter Katie on her first day as a page.

Hon. Margarett R. Best: Good morning. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Anne Newman and Victor Newman to the Ontario Legislature today. They are the grandparents of page James Newman from Scarborough–Guildwood.

Mr. Gilles Bisson: I would like to welcome in the members’ east gallery Mr. Chris Watson, here from the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Further introductions? There being none, it’s now time for oral questions.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Excuse me. Just in time. The member from Carleton–Mississippi Mills.

Mr. Jack MacLaren: Thank you, Speaker. I’d like to introduce Colleen Hochgeschurz from my riding of Carleton–Mississippi Mills. She’s here today to see her daughter Katelyn Hochgeschurz, who is on her first day as a page.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Now I will call upon the leader of Her Majesty’s loyal opposition for question period.

ORAL QUESTIONS

PUBLIC SERVICES

Mr. Tim Hudak: Premier, today the Legislature is returning after a considerable break in the shadow of another eHealth-style spending scandal at Ornge, the air ambulance service, and we also are returning with the government seemingly paralyzed in the face of a growing debt crisis in the province of Ontario.

The Drummond report, which is supposed to be your silver bullet to address all the spending problems, was released last week, but you’ve not indicated a single measure that you will implement. Premier, of the entire 700 pages, which recommendations will you actually implement?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I thank my honourable colleague for the question. I want to take the opportunity as well to thank Don Drummond and the other commissioners for the very important work that they’ve done.

Speaker, as you know, this report flows from a directive we put in last year’s budget. We anticipated the need for some profound changes, not only in terms of individual programs but also in terms of how government goes about its work. I think it’s very important that, in the coming days and weeks, we understand that we can and should engage in the best way for us to balance that budget, but we cannot debate—I certainly am not prepared to debate—our shared objective, which is surely to ensure that we balance the budget by 2017-18, ensure that government is more affordable and that we improve the quality of services. I believe that we can in fact achieve that destination by working together.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary question?

Mr. Tim Hudak: Premier, here’s the concern that the Ontario PCs have and that Ontario taxpayers have: We’re worried about this troubling paralysis on the government side when it comes to addressing the growing debt crisis in Ontario. Let me tell you why I say that.

The deficit is actually up, not down. While you say you’re going to control spending, spending has actually gone up in every government ministry except two since last year, and since the election, you’ve announced an additional $2.5 billion in expenditures and no savings to match them. Premier, we’re worried that you actually haven’t learned the lesson from the last election, which indicated that we need to get spending under control.

Let me ask you this: You’ve had the Drummond report for some time, I believe. You’ve been briefed all along. When will we actually see your plan to balance the books and get spending under control in the province of Ontario?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Speaker, I want to speak to the issue that is raised by my honourable colleague about spending. I think it’s important to reference the Drummond report. I’ll quote from a specific passage, where the commission says:

“Spending is neither out of control nor wildly excessive. Ontario runs one of the lowest-cost provincial governments in Canada relative to its GDP and has done so for decades.” He goes on to say, “And we must recognize that some important steps have been taken in the past few years to help manage costs, improve our prospects for future economic growth and enhance services to the public.”

I say to my honourable colleague and to all members of the opposition that our shared responsibility now is to debate the best way for us to move forward together. Any responsible advice that my colleague would care to offer in that regard would be gratefully received.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Final supplementary?

Mr. Tim Hudak: Again, Speaker, a very troubling response by the Premier. The Drummond report gives 362 failing grades to the Liberal government; 362 ways to reduce spending. He says that if we don’t act today, we’ll face a $30-billion deficit, not a balanced budget, as you promised, in 2017, and you’re en route to almost tripling the debt—and the Premier pats himself on the back for controlling spending? Just how out of touch is that response, Premier?

Let me ask you again, because I’m troubled by your response that says you’re doing a good job when the report says the opposite: Can you tell me one thing from the Drummond report—just one thing, Premier—that you actually will implement?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Again, we’re very pleased with the work done by the Drummond commission. I think it is exceptionally thorough. I think it’s the most thorough set of recommendations of its kind, I would venture to say, in the history of our country.

I’ve made it clear, Speaker, that while the commission’s responsibility is to provide us with advice, our job in government is, of course, to make the final decisions. We will incorporate the recommendations made by the Drummond commission in our budget, but before that point in time, of course, we’re looking to the advice of our honourable colleagues opposite in opposition. We look forward to hearing from Ontarians. The Minister of Finance will consider his pre-budget consultations, and we hope that there will be a legislative committee that will take a closer look, as well, at the Drummond commission.

All those opportunities will, I’m sure, provide us with even better advice with respect to the best way to move forward, and we look forward to doing that.

PUBLIC SERVICES

Mr. Tim Hudak: Back to the Premier: Premier, you describe the Drummond report as “thorough.” I won’t argue with that. But your response is anything but thorough. Your response has been vacuous to date. There has been an absence of leadership, despite the fact that I believe you’ve had the Drummond report on your desk probably for five or six weeks. The report was made public yesterday.

Let me tell you the problem: Every hour of every day, we’re spending $1.8 million more than we have in revenue. So, to date, since the Drummond report has come out, Speaker, we’re up another $250 million in debt, because there has been no action.

Premier, waiting until the end of March is not good enough. We’re in a big hole. The first rule when you’re in a hole is you stop digging. Premier, will you bring the budget forward? Will you act sooner, or do we have to actually wait—are you telling us—until the end of March for you to shake off your paralysis in ending your runaway spending?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Speaker, I appreciate my honourable colleague’s impatience, but I’m not going to be providing a list of which of the 362 we support and which we don’t.

But I would appreciate hearing from the opposition, Speaker, to provide us with important advice that will help shape our budget, as to which of the recommendations they support and which of the recommendations they don’t support. Our responsibility at this point in time is to continue to listen, to get a reaction to this report from both the opposition and from Ontarians themselves, and to incorporate that information and that advice into our budget. We’re on track to doing that, and we’ll continue to do that.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Tim Hudak: Premier, with all due respect, people want to see leadership; they want to see action. Crunch time has come, and they expect something more than the Premier once again punting this down the road. We’ve waited practically a year since you appointed Mr. Drummond. You’ve had the report for six weeks.

Let me ask the Premier this. You’ve told us what you’re not going to do on his recommendation: You said you’re going to go full steam with full-day kindergarten at a cost of $1.5 billion a year. Mr. Drummond says that if you take something out of his equation, you have to put something back on the table. So I ask you, Premier, if you’re going to add $1.5 billion on to the tab, what else will you put on the table? Where will you find the savings to make up for that additional $1.5 billion?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Speaker, full-day kindergarten is not a matter of political convenience for us on this side of the House; it’s a matter of conviction. I draw an important distinction between convenience and conviction.

We will find a way. This is a good example of the value set that we are bringing to the choices before us. One of the things that the Drummond commission reinforces over and over again is that it’s important to establish as a priority those things that invest in the future. There are all kinds of stakeholders for the present but not so many when it comes to representing the future. That’s our responsibility here, so we are absolutely wed to full-day kindergarten and the plan as originally put forward.

We will find other ways, Speaker—and we look forward to hearing from the opposition in this regard as well—to find savings to allow for that. But, again, it’s all about making choices, choices informed by our values.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Final supplementary.

Mr. Tim Hudak: Premier, what’s also troubling is that within 24 hours of the Drummond report, DBRS, the bond rating agency, put out a warning calling for action. They’re worried about the lack of resolve. They say, “The strategy fleshed out to date continues to lack details,” and at best your results have been mixed. This is dangerous, because the higher our bond rating, the more expensive debt becomes in the province, taking money away from health and education.

Premier, you’ve added on $1.5 billion to the equation from full-day kindergarten, and you’ve announced $2.5 billion in new initiatives. Let me ask you this. Your tax credit for tuition for college and university is an additional $500 million or so. Is that off the table as well, or will you consider getting rid of that program to meet Mr. Drummond’s recommendations?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Speaker, it’s no secret my honourable colleague wants to increase tuition in Ontario, and we look forward to considering the plan in a full way through the budget.

But we have done a few things, and I would be interested in getting the response of our opposition to this. The Minister of Finance has announced that we’re going to be selling LCBO prime real estate in downtown Toronto because that’s not a good investment of public dollars, we are going to be enhancing privatization over at ServiceOntario, and we are going to seriously consider ending our subsidies for the horse racing industry.

I know we’ve heard from some in the opposition who are adamantly opposed to some of those provisions, but those are things that we think are important for us to consider. Again, if we’re going to establish as a priority health care and education, those are the kinds of choices we have to make, and I would love to hear where the opposition stands on those kinds of choices.

ONTARIO ECONOMY

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My question is to the Premier. During last fall’s election campaign, the Premier insisted that his no-strings-attached corporate tax giveaways wouldn’t be breaking the bank; now he claims that Ontario is struggling to make ends meet. The Premier insisted he had a jobs plan, but Ontario families watched as bad strategy led to good jobs being lost in communities across the province, most recently in London; brutal layoffs all the way around. My question is a simple one: Does the Premier actually think his plan is working?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Again, Speaker, I welcome the question from my honourable colleague. It’s good for us to be back and to be debating a very important issue at a very important time of consequence to the future of our province.

One of the things that I would recommend to my honourable colleague is, again, if she takes a look at the Drummond commission and the report itself, it specifically commends our government and, I think, Ontarians more generally, for the important work we have done, for example, to ensure that we have a competitive tax environment. We have done a great deal working together, reducing both personal income taxes, corporate taxes, eliminating capital taxes and helping small businesses as well. He also specifically commends the work Ontarians have done to ensure that we now have one of the most competitive workforces anywhere in the world.

Those are two important parts of the foundation for growth and prosperity that we intend to build upon.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, one thing is certainly consistent, and that is that, during the campaign and afterwards, the Premier has avoided the people who will be affected by the government’s broken promises. Whether it’s campaigning in a bubble or playing political games that blocked committees for months, people in this province are once again being ignored.

The Premier heard from his favourite experts. When will he actually listen to the people who end up paying those higher electricity bills, the people who end up coping with longer wait times, the people who end up having to deal with children who have larger classroom sizes and a more difficult time learning because of it—all for the purposes of paying for this Premier’s corporate tax giveaways?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: It’s an important time for all of us because it’s an opportunity for us to give expression to the fundamental values that inform our idea of public service.

As we go through these recommendations to be found within the commission’s report, for example, as we hear from the opposition parties and from Ontarians generally, we’re going to do everything we possibly can to: give priority to good-quality health care; the best possible schools in the world—that is our ambition in that regard; ensure that we achieve a sustainable balance by 2017-18, one that will continue for a long time into the future; and ensure that our public services are both affordable and of a higher quality.

That’s the ideal that we share and that’s the goal we have set for ourselves, and obviously, of course, that involves listening to people.

My honourable colleague may know that I was in London a short while ago, before we got the terrible news about Caterpillar, to meet with some of the workers there and see what it is that we might do working together.

But we’re not giving up our economy. I know that my honourable colleague will give us advice in terms of how we need to respond more specifically.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: People in communities across Ontario are watching good jobs vanish. They were told that the HST and corporate tax giveaways were going to create jobs in Ontario. Instead, those people are being told that they can expect less from their government, and jobs like those at Caterpillar in London continue to walk out the door. My question again to the Premier is: Does he really believe that his plan is working, or is he willing to admit that in fact it’s a failure?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Every once in a while, as I like to say, facts are helpful. Since the recession, Ontario has created over 303,000 new jobs, so we are ahead of where we used to be. Last year, we created over 121,000 new jobs in Ontario. We continue to remain the second-best place in all of North America as a recipient of foreign direct investment. We’re first by far in Canada, but in North America, first it’s California and then it’s Ontario.

I think that one of the reasons we are there is, of course, the competitiveness of our tax environment that we have put in place. When I was in Kitchener-Waterloo just a few weeks ago and met with the folks there representing Google, who are expanding there on a second occasion, they were saying over and over again that it is the skill set of our workers that is drawing foreign direct investment to Ontario; hence, Speaker, our commitment to things like full-day kindergarten.

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My second question is also to the Premier. In 2010, New Democrats raised serious concerns about the abuse of public money at Ornge. Does the Premier feel that the minister took swift and appropriate action?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I want to begin by commending the minister for moving so decisively in terms of dealing with a very important issue of public policy and public dollars. The minister has demonstrated, I think, a real determination and conviction in dealing with these issues.

At the outset, I want to begin by acknowledging the very important work being done by the front-line workers at Ornge, our air ambulance service. These include paramedics and pilots. Last year alone they were involved in over 19,000 patient transports, and throughout all of this upheaval in their organization they have remained absolutely committed and devoted to delivering the best possible care to Ontarians. I think it’s important that together we acknowledge their unrelenting commitment to good-quality care.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Well, Speaker, commend the minister if he will, but in November 2010—over a year ago—the minister couldn’t explain why Ornge was exempted from salary disclosure rules. The minister said, “We’ll do the work required to get answers.”

Now, over a year later, when the details of serious problems at Ornge broke in the news, we discovered that, in fact, nothing had changed, and the minister was again looking for answers. Now, I’m curious, and I’m sure the people of Ontario are curious, Speaker: What exactly happened during that lost year?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Last year, as you will know, Speaker, the minister asked for a forensic audit to determine how public money was being spent. The audit uncovered financial irregularities. That information has been provided to the Ontario Provincial Police. The police are now investigating this matter and we look forward to the results of that investigation. Should the police determine that public money was in fact misspent, our government will take any and all necessary steps to recover those dollars.

In the meantime, the minister, as I say, has acted decisively. She has replaced the president; she has replaced the board of directors; she has put a stop to all for-profit activities; and she’s co-operating in a full way with the province’s Auditor General. I think that’s exactly what’s in keeping with the public interest at this point in time.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Final supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, this government set up Ornge. Well-connected Liberals were paid generously to help hammer out the details of the setting-up of Ornge. In January 2011, staff in the Premier’s office met with Ornge officials and their lawyer, the former president of the Liberal Party of Canada, and they were all fully briefed—fully briefed—on the schemes at Ornge.

The Premier knew the details, Speaker. He and his minister spent a year avoiding questions, avoiding tough questions. Now do they really think, and does he really think, that anybody believes their claims of surprise today?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Speaker, I expect that in the coming days, and possibly even weeks, these kinds of allegations will be floated in and about with respect to partisan involvement in this matter. Fortunately, Speaker, there is an Auditor General who will look at this. I recall the same kinds of allegations being made at the time of eHealth, and the Auditor General spoke to that in a very decisive and finalizing type of way.

The other thing I want to say, because I know Ontarians are interested in this, is that the minister will shortly introduce legislation to strengthen our government’s oversight. The new rules will include a new strict performance agreement, the strict monitoring of finances, a new patient advocate and linking executive pay to quality improvements. Again, I think that speaks to the decisive approach being brought by the Minister of Health.

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Mr. Frank Klees: To the Minister of Health: Speaker, front-line workers at Ontario’s air ambulance service have lost confidence in the Minister of Health. Paramedics, flight crews, dispatchers and support staff have watched as their once proud and efficient emergency service was turned into a playground for a handful of political friends. Millions of dollars were wasted, operational standards were compromised, and the lives of patients and crews were put at risk, all under the watch of a minister who refused opposition warnings and allowed the waste of precious health care dollars to continue, only to be forced into calling a criminal investigation.

Speaker, on behalf of those front-line health care workers, patients whose lives have been put at risk and the public who have lost confidence in this minister, I ask the minister, will she do the honourable thing? Will she accept responsibility for the scandalous mess at Ornge and resign?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Thank you to the member opposite for the question.

What I think is important—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): There are going to be some important questions coming up, and it sounds like there’s some intense emotion here. I’m going to ask—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): And if I hear one more interruption when I’m speaking, you’ll be gone.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): And you.

I demand your attention.

Minister?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Thank you, Speaker, and thank you for the question.

I want to begin by saying thank you to the front-line workers that the member opposite has referred to. Speaker, there are 600 employees at Ornge who, every single day, come to work in order to provide the best possible care for the people they serve. I’m talking about paramedics, I’m talking about pilots, I’m talking about doctors, I’m talking about the people who maintain the aircraft.

Ornge provides a vitally important service to the people of this province, and I want to say thank you to the front-line staff who have endured difficult, difficult weeks, because I tell you, they are doing everything they can in their—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you. Supplementary?

Mr. Frank Klees: Speaker, the minister admitted that she failed in her oversight responsibilities of Ontario’s air ambulance services here at the Legislature on Friday. Forensic audits and investigations have forced the minister to order a criminal investigation. The minister admits that she was briefed on the details of the very agreement that gave carte blanche to the masterminds of the self-serving schemes of Ornge in January of last year. She did nothing to stop that. Now, rather than accept responsibility, she wants to feign ignorance. She claims that she was lied to by senior advisers and wants to now hide behind the veil of a criminal investigation.

We submit that by not stepping aside, the minister is limiting the scope of the very criminal investigation she has ordered, because we believe that the scope of that investigation should lead to her office and her staff and herself.

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Speaker, the member opposite is making a very serious, outrageous and untrue allegation, and I am asking the member opposite to withdraw that allegation, because I can assure you that the Ontario Provincial Police do not take orders from me or any of my colleagues. They will do exactly the investigation that they want to do, completely unencumbered by any political direction, and if the member opposite is suggesting otherwise, I am asking him to withdraw that allegation right now.

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

M me France Gélinas: Ma question est pour la ministre de la Santé et des Soins de longue durée. It will be very brief. Can the minister tell this House when she first learned of the exorbitant executive salaries and the for-profit arrangement at Ornge, Ontario’s air ambulance service?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Yes, Speaker, in fact I can, and I thank the member for the question. As you will recall, when we were last here there were questions around that issue. We were not able to get the answers from Ornge. The Auditor General was unable to get answers to the questions he was asking. My ministry officials were unable to get answers. That is why I had a meeting in my boardroom with the senior executives at Ornge and I told them—this meeting was in December—that I expected them to answer the questions that were being asked by the Auditor General and by the ministry.

Only a few days later, we did receive information from Ornge on what the compensation for the senior management at Ornge was. The number—particularly for the president and CEO—was outrageous, exorbitant and completely unacceptable, which is why I sent in the forensic audit team. As we all know, that has led to an OPP investigation.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

M me France Gélinas: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. From this side of the House, there seems to be a two-year delay between acting disturbed and outraged and what really happened. In estimates in 2010, the NDP asked the minister a question about the salaries and about the for-profit services at Ornge, and the minister promised that she would get back to the NDP. But she didn’t. Only when these stories were on the front pages of the papers and all over the television sets did she then react. I ask again: When did you first hear about extravagant salaries at Ornge?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Speaker, the answer remains the same. It was in late December when I finally did get answers. In the meantime, the Auditor General was doing an audit of Ornge. I asked anyone who had information to submit that information either through me to the Auditor General or directly to the Auditor General. To the best of my knowledge, none of the members opposite, even though one in particular stood up with allegations—did not substantiate that. To the best of my knowledge, that information was not passed on to the Auditor General. I wanted to let the Auditor General do his job.

I did not want to leap to further action. But when the Auditor General told me he was not getting answers to questions he was asking, that is when I took action. That was in December. In the meantime, we have a completely new leadership at Ornge, a new interim CEO and a new board. We are working on a new performance agreement with Ornge.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Ms. Tracy MacCharles: There has been a lot of talk about economic recovery and growth in Ontario, but it is unclear about how certain regions are faring. While the government has identified southwestern, eastern and northern Ontario as priority areas for strategic job investments, little is said about what’s being done to create jobs in the greater Toronto area, including my riding of Pickering–Scarborough East and stretching as far as the municipalities of Clarington and Durham. My question to the Minister of Economic Development and Trade is: What is happening in employment markets in the GTA to create jobs and bring investments?

Hon. Brad Duguid: It’s great to see the member for Pickering–Scarborough East back on her feet and it’s great to see her so soon back in the game. Great to have you back.

I know that the member has been very involved promoting growth in the GTA, and Durham in particular. We’ve invested in 47 economic projects throughout the GTA, leveraging over $3.5 billion in private sector investment. That has created or protected 11,300 jobs in the GTA. These projects include investments in companies like Electrovaya, Pride Pak and Magellan in Peel; General Electric, Axiom Group and Inteva in York region; ASC Signal and ProPharma in Durham; and Dana and Fifth Light Technologies in Cambridge and Oakville.

When you consider the huge economic impact of these investments and then you consider the investments we’re making in places like Durham in energy and infrastructure, I have little doubt that the GTA will continue to help lead our recovery.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Tracy MacCharles: Speaker, I thank the minister for his answer. The folks in my riding of Pickering–Scarborough East and all Ontarians are encouraged to hear the positive results that we’re seeing from these investments that we’ve made in the GTA to create and sustain jobs. There’s no doubt that the GTA is vital to the economic vitality of the Ontario economy, but it would be helpful to hear, Minister, what others are saying outside of government about our plan.

Hon. Brad Duguid: I’m pleased to share with the member that many experts outside of government are recognizing the progress we’re making.

According to the latest CIBC Canadian Metropolitan Economic Activity Index, which was just released in January, Toronto was ranked number one for the second time in a row with the greatest economic momentum. In fact, let me quote directly from the report. It says this: “While the recession saw the city losing ground faster than the rest of the country’s ... CMAs, its recovery trajectory has been much more impressive with the city’s index of economic momentum currently at its highest level in more than 10 years.”

Since 2009, employment in Toronto has grown 4.6%. That’s well above the national average, with full-time employment accounting for the majority of that.

While there’s more work to do and we’re eager to get on with it, the fact is we’re on the right track despite the challenges of an uncertain global economy.

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Mr. Frank Klees: To the Minister of Health. Speaker, the minister continues to refuse to accept responsibility for the scandalous abuse of tax dollars at Ontario’s air ambulance service. She claims that she either didn’t know or that she was lied to. We accept neither of those excuses and neither does the public.

The fact is that the minister ignored repeated warnings from opposition members and she ignored warnings written to her by front-line employees of Ornge and stakeholders. Now, we know that the only reason this has been exposed is because of whistleblowers who are either current or former employees of Ornge. The latest: The new management installed by the minister has now told the whistleblowers to stop talking or risk going to jail. That the minister would condone that is unconscionable.

I call on the minister once again, on behalf of those front-line health care workers who want to tell the truth about what is going on there—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you. I remind all members: When I stand, you sit.

Minister?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Just to be clear, I am not resigning. I have got a lot of work to do on the transformation of our health care system. We have important work to do to make sure that our health care system meets the needs of people not just today but in the future, so I’m not going anywhere.

What I can tell you, though, is that whenever a warning was made, my ministry officials did look into those concerns.

I do want to say, though, to the member opposite, he has stood up in this House repeatedly, and elsewhere as well, saying that he has inside information, and to the best of my knowledge, he has not shared that inside information. I’m asking him today, are you going to share that information?

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Frank Klees: Mr. Speaker, I can assure you that any information that I have, she already has had and has done nothing with it.

I can also share with the House that I have transferred all of the information that I’ve received to the Auditor General. And I can also share with you that the reason the Auditor General has delayed his report is because of that additional information.

What I will say to the minister is that to threaten existing employees of Ornge with jail time if they share their concerns is unconscionable and it speaks to the fact that this government is more intent on covering up what is going on there rather than getting to the bottom of it. It’s for that reason that I call on the minister to resign because she is not showing leadership. In fact, what she’s doing is adding to the cover-up of something that quite frankly is—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): That exchange led me to the point where I was going to stand anyway, but the first part that was said was very on the edge. The last part was not acceptable and the member will withdraw.

Mr. Frank Klees: Withdraw.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Minister?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Speaker, we want to thank the people who did actually bring irregularities to light. It is thanks to people who work at Ornge that we do have the information we need to take the extraordinary step of calling in the OPP, and Ornge will be implementing a whistleblower policy to further protect anyone who does share concerns that they have.

So, Speaker, what I really think it’s important to do is that we let the police investigation continue. It is very important to me and to all of the people who work at Ornge that justice be done. There are serious allegations; there is a serious investigation underway. I can assure the member opposite and anyone else that my ministry is co-operating fully, that we have co-operated fully with the Auditor General, that the forensic audit team is giving everything they have collected to the criminal investigation—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you. New question.

JOB CREATION

Mr. Rosario Marchese: To the Premier: At a time when thousands of Ontarians are in dire need of government support, the Drummond report made the dubious recommendation that Ontario should nix job creation as a priority. These are Drummond’s exact words in recommendation 11-3: “Refocus the mandate of business support programs from job creation to productivity growth in the private sector.”

With 600,000 Ontarians out of work, we need a job creation strategy. Will the Premier reject this recommendation or will he give up on good jobs?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Speaker, to the Minister of Economic Development and Innovation.

Hon. Brad Duguid: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the member for the question.

Like all the Drummond recommendations, we’re taking a very serious look at each and every one of them. The Minister of Finance, in his budget, will be coming forward this spring with, I think, a very thorough report of those recommendations that we’re going to accept. So I think the Premier was very clear on that. We will make the decisions, ultimately.

There’s no question, though: Across this province we’ve worked very hard to put in place very strong fundamentals to build a strong economy, and Mr. Drummond is very cognizant of that. Whether it be the improvements we’ve made to education, whether it’s been the investments we’ve made in infrastructure, whether it’s been the energy system that we’ve now made very, very safe, secure and stable, whether, Mr. Speaker, it’s investments we’ve made in innovation, all of those things are the fundamentals to build a strong economy.

But I do agree, Mr. Speaker: We want—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you. Supplementary?

Mr. Rosario Marchese: Speaker, I didn’t hear much of an answer, except, “We will consider all these recommendations.”

Look, productivity is important; we recognize that. But with 600,000 Ontarians out of work, our focus should be on creating good jobs. Without good-paying jobs, there is no prosperity: the kinds of jobs that once made this a middle-class province, the kinds of jobs that have been disappearing under the McGuinty government at an alarming rate.

Will this government make job creation a priority or is it throwing in the towel on the middle class in this province?

Hon. Brad Duguid: Mr. Speaker, job creation is our top priority and it always has been. That’s why, in the face of very challenging global economics, we’ve been able to increase the number of jobs in this province last year by 121,300 net new jobs.

We have it going in the right direction, but we’re not satisfied with that. We’re going to keep building on those strong fundamentals that we have in this province. We’re going to keep creating jobs, Mr. Speaker. We’re going to keep ensuring that our private sector steps up now with those strong fundamentals and improves the productivity that we want to continue to improve on.

Mr. Drummond makes some good points in that report, Mr. Speaker. We’re going to take a very close look at those recommendations, and we’ll do what any responsible government will do and do what’s in the best interest of the province of Ontario.

ENERGY POLICIES

Mrs. Liz Sandals: My question is for the Minister of Energy.

Minister, many people take for granted the wires and poles of our electricity system. These vital components of our electricity infrastructure ensure that Ontario families, farms and small businesses have the power they need when they flip the switch. It was not too long ago that our government inherited an electricity system that was on the brink of collapse. For many years, previous governments wilfully neglected investments in our electricity system, putting reliability at risk. In fact, the Hydro One line to Guelph is 100 years old. I didn’t even know they made steel lattice towers that long ago.

Over the last eight years, Ontario families have had to do the work that others failed to do. Minister, what investments have been made to restore the dirty, outdated and unreliable electricity system we inherited in 2003?

Hon. Christopher Bentley: As usual, the member from Guelph has gone to the heart of the matter: We need a reliable, clean, modern system that’s fit for what families, farms and businesses actually require day to day.

So those same families, farms and businesses have been doing a lot of work the last eight years. Unfortunately, they’ve had to do some work that should have been done before the last eight years, and so they’ve spent almost three times as much money constructing 5,000 additional kilometres of new wire, redoing transformers, upgrading stations, all to make sure that when you flip the switch on, the power comes on; when you need the heat, the heat’s there.

When you need to rely on it for your farm, your milking operation, your household, your business manufacturing operation, the power that you need is there when you need it, thanks to Ontario farms, families and businesses.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mrs. Liz Sandals: I know my constituents appreciate the hard work that has been done to restore reliability in the province. As a government agency and Ontario’s largest local distribution company, Hydro One plays an important role in maintaining the safety and reliability of our electricity system. The work they do keeps the lights on in our homes.

As a government, to ensure that our electricity system stays strong and vibrant in the future, we need to make the necessary investments in the grid and the necessary investments in the electrical workers of tomorrow. These young people will find employment in our clean energy economy and will be responsible for Ontario’s energy future.

Minister, what is being done by Hydro One to ensure that the electrical workers of tomorrow have every opportunity to participate and succeed in the energy economy?

Hon. Christopher Bentley: Again, that’s the natural extension of the first part. The other week, I was up at the Hydro One grid control centre, right next to Georgian College in Barrie, and you know what—

Mr. Jeff Leal: Great spot.

Hon. Christopher Bentley: And from that spot, they control 150,000 kilometres of the transmission and distribution centre covering the province of Ontario. They’re able to make sure that the farms, families and businesses get the power they need. They identify the issues and then dispatch those very highly skilled workers to repair or to upgrade and renew issues.

And they’re working with Georgian and other colleges around the province to give students internships, co-op placements, to make sure the students get an opportunity for great jobs in the province and our transmission and distribution centre has the appropriately trained workers to make sure we have a clean, reliable, modern system fit for the people of Ontario.

SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: My question is for the Minister of Education. Both on January 11 and February 1, I asked you to release Coulter Osborne’s report on school busing. I know the minister has received this report, and I know it contains recommendations on the RFP process that has forced small businesses in many of our communities to stop their school bus routes. Last week, Don Drummond’s report recommended the moratorium on the RFP process be lifted as soon as possible.

Minister, is the reason you’re keeping the Osborne report secret because it cautions against monopolies in school busing and conflicts with Drummond’s report?

Hon. Laurel C. Broten: I know that for many parents like myself and like the member opposite, perhaps, the school day begins the moment we put our kids on the bus. We know that that is so critically important: that our bus system and our school transportation system be safe, efficient and accountable. We know that school boards and operators share that goal with us. So, yes, I want to thank the task force for their efforts to study what is a very complex issue and to look at the many competing interests and needs.

I want you to know that I really appreciate the sector’s support of the task force and the work and advice that they’ve given. I am currently reviewing the report and its recommendations, and it will provide guidance as we make decisions, moving forward, on such a critically important issue.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: She’s had the Osborne report for a month, and she’s still reviewing it. Meanwhile, the school boards and consortiums have already gone out to tender.

I have a quick question for the minister. You saw the Osborne and Drummond reports before anyone else in the education sector. You’ve strung small independent operators along for months now. Why are you hiding the Osborne report? Does it conflict with Drummond, and does it caution you against creating monopolies like Ornge in the bus sector?

Hon. Laurel Broten: I think the complexity of the issue is evident from the member opposite’s question. Her leader has said that their party would implement the entirety of Don Drummond’s report. At the same time, we hear a query with respect to what advice we have gotten from another group of experts led by Coulter Osborne who brought together a group of diverse interests to give us some advice. It’s incumbent upon me, as the minister, to take that advice and examine it in the context of how we ensure that public education—that starts when you put your kids on the bus—is safe and efficient and accountable as well.

That’s what we are doing: We’re taking a look at the report. Unlike the members opposite, we won’t move aggressively and immediately without examining the facts and the circumstances and taking that advice and reflecting upon it.

LABOUR RELATIONS

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: Speaker, to the Premier: Caterpillar’s actions in London have demonstrated an unprecedented level of corporate greed. Their refusal to negotiate, their demand for massive pay cuts and their decision to ship jobs south disgust people throughout the province and makes them wonder whether it could happen to them.

To make sure this doesn’t happen again to any family, will the Premier agree to strike a commission into Caterpillar under

section 37 of the Labour Relations Act?

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Premier?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: To the Minister of Economic Development and Innovation.

Hon. Brad Duguid: I appreciate the advice of the member opposite, but what I would say is this—there are really three things, I think, that need to be said in response to that question. The first is that our concern is and will always be the workers who are there. The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities was there, on the spot, within hours of that unfortunate announcement being made.

Secondly, we can’t let these occurrences dampen our determination to continue to build a strong economy in Ontario. That has got to be job number one. The fact is, we did create 121,300 net jobs last year in the province of Ontario.

Thirdly, I want to thank the third party and the leader of the third party, and I want to thank the Premier, for standing up for those workers in London. I do have to ask where the Leader of the Opposition was on this, because he has been asked numerous times: Will he stand with those workers or will he not? Mr. Speaker, he has refused to answer that question.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: It’s pretty clear that the Premier’s no-strings-attached corporate tax giveaways aren’t working, and neither is his lack of action. Several columnists have noted that the Premier didn’t even pick up the phone to the company or the Prime Minister.

The province needs to act to secure jobs in this province by rewarding companies that create good jobs, strengthening labour laws and bringing in a buy-Ontario program. What is the Premier’s plan?

Hon. Brad Duguid: I think it’s really important that, as we sympathize with the challenges that these workers are going through, what they expect of us is to ensure that the supports are there for those workers as they go through this transition.

The other thing that they would expect of us is to continue to work diligently to create jobs in that part of the province. That’s why our southwestern Ontario development fund is so important. So I ask the members opposite—I ask the members of the NDP, and I ask the members of the PC Party—to give very good consideration to supporting what is a very important piece of legislation that’s going to create jobs in southwestern Ontario. I know the people of London are looking forward to that fund being approved in this Legislature, and I hope I can count on the members opposite to support that.

ROAD SAFETY

Mrs. Teresa Piruzza: My question is for the Minister of Transportation. On January 18, a terrible tragedy occurred on Highway 3 in Windsor. A tow truck driver was hit and killed while helping another motorist change a tire. It was daytime, weather conditions were normal, the driver was well-trained and their amber lights were flashing.

Speaker, through you, my question to the minister is: What do drivers need to know when encountering roadside assistance vehicles, or any vehicle for that matter, on the road in distress so that these types of tragedies can be avoided?

Hon. Bob Chiarelli: Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Windsor West for asking this question, and I certainly share her concerns about this tragedy.

We are looking at everything we know so far about the circumstances. There certainly aren’t many answers to the question of why this actually happened. The driver of the vehicle is facing charges, and through that process we may learn more about what actually transpired in those few seconds. But this is a stark reminder of the care that needs to be taken by every single driver every time they get behind the wheel, because things can happen in an instant when care is not taken.

When you see any vehicle in distress on the side of the road, be mindful of the fact that there may be people moving around the outside of that vehicle. That’s just common sense. Being alert, cognizant and considerate of road users is the best way to keep roads safe for people.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mrs. Teresa Piruzza: Thank you, Minister. I spend quite a bit of time on the roads and highways in and around Windsor and around here, and I can tell you that there’s no substitute in terms of safety for being alert and being aware of what’s going on around you at all times.

Every day, more than 1,000 tow truck operators take to the roads in Ontario, helping drivers in sometimes very difficult and dangerous conditions. It is a unique industry and certainly one that provides an important service to Ontario drivers.

Speaker, can the minister acknowledge that, moving forward, he will consider appropriate measures to strengthen this industry, whose members are there to help us day and night?

Hon. Bob Chiarelli: Mr. Speaker, once again, I share the member’s concerns. Absolutely. I am always open to thoughtful ideas on how to strengthen standards in this industry, because, as the member noted, it has a significant presence on our roads and highways.

I recall that the member for Willowdale had a bill before the House last spring much to that effect that I was supportive of.

I think it’s an important discussion to have, but it’s important that the discussion be broad-based, looks at the industry as a whole and takes into account the inputs of the police, the CAA and other stakeholders.

Ontario consistently has the safest roads in North America. Statistics always show this to be the case. But unfortunately, driver error remains the number one cause of fatal conditions on the roads.

The member is right: There is no legislation or regulation that will ever substitute for alert and defensive driving. This is something for all drivers to remember before heading out onto the road.

PAN AM GAMES

Mr. Rod Jackson: My question is to the minister responsible for the Pan Am Games. There’s something terribly problematic with the Pan Am tendering in Hamilton. It starts at the top of the Liberal-appointed Pan Am organizing committee and board, who turn a blind eye to the broken tendering process, which the city of Hamilton is complaining favours the Working Families Coalition unions. The nepotism for the Working Families Coalition unions effectively shrinks the competition by 75%, which drives costs up—up to 40% higher.

What makes the government feel entitled to make the hard-earned money of the hard-working Ontario taxpayers finance their cheap political advertisers with inflated bids?

Hon. Charles Sousa: Mr. Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to talk about the Pan Am Games coming to Ontario. The fact of the matter is, we’re going to be able to host a game of up to 10,000 athletes—the largest set of games ever hosted by the province of Ontario. It’s going to bring for us a number of great legacies, including economic development: over 15,000 new jobs in the province. It’s also going to help athleticism and elite athletes now be able to train and perform within the jurisdiction of Ontario, as well as helping many social and community groups.

In regards to his question and the insinuations made, I congratulate Infrastructure Ontario for the outstanding work they’ve done with tendering the process of all the venues that have been brought forward. We are trying our best to maintain the lowest and best price possible for the delivery of these games, and we look forward to seeing them come in 2015.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Rod Jackson: Speaker, how can the minister justify millions of wasted dollars lining the pockets of their union friends on the backs of taxpayers? Indeed, this legislated nepotism in the tendering process costs the city of Hamilton about $4 million to $10 million in additional dollars per year in inflated construction bids.

Here is what’s wrong: accountability. The Liberal Pan Am organizing committee and board report to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, the Minister of Infrastructure has Infrastructure Ontario managing Pan Am projects, and the Minister of Sport is undefined in this role. Which one of you ministers will stand up and explain to the city of Hamilton and Ontario taxpayers why you’re turning a blind eye to tolerate nepotism in the tendering process costing the city and Ontario taxpayers millions of dollars annually?

Hon. Charles Sousa: Mr. Speaker, just by the amount of RFPs that are out there, the proponents that are being awarded would indicate otherwise. The fact of the matter is we are providing an open and transparent process. It’s in the midst of going through that right now. We need to ensure we get the best possible price for the taxpayers in delivering these games, and I’m very confident that we are doing exactly what the delivery of these games will bring to Ontario as a result of the great work that Infrastructure Ontario is providing.

I should also state that until this point, we have only spent 3% of the entire budget of $1.4 billion. We need to take every precautionary step possible to ensure that we deliver the games on time and on budget.

ADDICTION SERVICES

Ms. Sarah Campbell: My question is to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. As I’m sure you’re aware, prescription drug abuse is an epidemic in northern communities. In my riding, the community of Cat Lake has declared a state of emergency as a result of prescription drug abuse. Other First Nations communities report addiction rates as high as 50% to 70%.

On Friday, it was announced that OxyContin will no longer be available in Canada. While this should help prevent further addiction, it does little to help those who are currently addicted. What is this government’s plan, and does this government have a strategy to assist First Nations communities struggling with staggering rates of addiction?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Thank you to the member opposite. She has raised a very, very important question. I think members of this House know that the issue of prescription drug abuse, and particularly OxyContin, is one that has taken a significant amount of my personal time, because I do know that we’ve got a lot of work to do.

We know that OxyContin will no longer be manufactured by Purdue pharmaceutical and that there is a new drug that is far less likely to be used for illicit purposes, Speaker. We do have an issue that we are working to address.

The federal government, of course, is responsible for delivering health care in those First Nations communities. But this is an issue of concern, and I want to assure the member opposite that we are looking into it.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Sarah Campbell: First Nations communities have been asking for help for years, but their requests have fallen on deaf ears. Minister, First Nations people are the citizens of this province, and they’re crying out for help. Leaders in the north are terrified about what may happen if entire communities are forced to go off the drug cold turkey. Time is of the essence. When will this government release a comprehensive plan?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Speaker, we released our addictions and mental health strategy several months ago. Part of that strategy is dealing with this addiction to prescription narcotics. There is much, much work to be done—I am very well aware of that—and I want you to know that we are very much focused on this issue.

FOREST INDUSTRY

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member for—sorry.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Glengarry–Prescott–Russell.

Mr. Grant Crack: The best for last. Thank you, Speaker.

My question is for the Minister of Natural Resources. Minister, a new program has been designed to encourage Ontarians to buy locally when thinking about purchasing wood products, and while it’s still in its initial stages, Ontarians will soon be able to identify the origins of the wood they are buying at their local hardware or furniture store because of the new Ontario Wood logo that will help spot homegrown wood products. The Ontario Wood logo builds o